My name is Amanda McKenna and this is my 17th year in education.  This will be my fourth year at Johnston County’s Early College Academy and I am truly excited to be apart of the PRIDE. At the Early College Academy, students are given opportunities to experience Problem Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a learning style where students learn through hands on activities, inquisitive thinking, and application-based projects. 

​Science has always been the subject I truly loved to explore and understand in and out of the classroom. I received a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Studies and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Science from East Carolina University (GO PIRATES). First semester, I will be teaching Earth/Environmental Science. Earth/Environmental Science is the study of the physical constitution of the Earth and it's atmosphere. This course will also be an inquiry based science class in which, students will study Earth’s role as a body in space, processes and human influences that affect the Lithosphere, the Hydrosphere, climate, and human interactions with Earth’s geological and environmental systems. I will also be teaching Biology. Biology is the study of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, especially with reference to origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior. This course is an inquiry based science class in which, students will study biochemistry, cells, genetics, evolution and classification, ecology, and the diversity of life.  I am looking forward to a great semester at ECA!